Present day communication media often and effectively provides for persons with special needs, including the deaf and the blind. For instance, deaf persons can employ text telephones, videoconferences, and text messaging to communicate with others, while blind persons can use Braille printing and keypads or text-to-speech technology to essentially read text. Also, blind users and deaf users can communicate using mobile phones, by speech and hearing and by vision, respectively. Blind users have learned to use the buttons on the device efficiently thanks to their tactile memory. Of course, deaf users are able to use the keyboards on mobile phones to text message thanks to their sight.
However, persons who are both blind and deaf cannot effectively communicate using present day mobile devices. The mobile devices of today do not provide a way for deaf and blind persons to read text messages or listen to voice messages sent to their mobile devices. Moreover, even if a blind user can hear, there may be instances in which it is inappropriate or undesirable to listen to an audible message. While such a message could be converted to text for a sighted user, a blind user will be unable to receive the message until circumstances change such that the blind user can listen to the audible message.